Child given wheelchair among migrants arriving in UK after crossing Channel

Pictures show men, women and children wearing life jackets and blankets disembarking from a Border Force vessel in Dover on Tuesday.

Published Aug 27

Last updated Aug 27

A child was assisted with a wheelchair as they arrived among a group of migrants in Dover after crossing the English Channel.

Pictures show men, women and children wearing life jackets and blankets disembarking from a Border Force vessel at the Kent port on Tuesday.

Migrant Channel crossing incidents — The people were brought to shore after an apparent small boat incident (Gareth Fuller/PA)

They are the first arrivals in a week since 206 people made the journey on August 19, according to Home Office figures.

A total of 19,294 people had arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel as of August 26, 2% lower than the same point in 2023 (19,741) and 20% lower than in 2022 (24,153).

A graphic showing cumulative arrivals of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats — (PA Graphics)

“The new Government is taking steps to boost our border security, setting up a new Border Security Command which will bring together our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit.”